Moonlight 2
by Lucianna Gene
Summary: It's been two years since Emma and Jackson were executed. All is pretty quiet. Let me know what you think! I'm going to try and enhance some dangling plot lines from the show!
1. Rubies and Diamonds

**Moonlight: Season 2—Chapter 1**

It's been two years since Emma and Jackson's execution. Beth and I have remained together, and inevitably, the topic of me turning her has come up. It's our three year anniversary today. She chose the restaurant. I'm not supposed to know where it is. But she should know that there's almost nothing a vampire can't find out.

"So," Beth sat opposite me in the outside patio seating of a small Greek restaurant, wearing a strapless black dress that reached to mid-thigh and red heels that matched her lipstick, "happy anniversary, Mick."

"Happy anniversary," I smiled. She looked stunning.

Beth smiled—that million-watt smile that reminded me of sunlight. At times I missed being human just to be able to be with her every day, all day.

"What?" she laughed.

I realized I had been musing again. "Nothing. Just thinking of how beautiful you are."

"Oh, stop!" she took out a small digital camera from her purse. "Waiter!" She waved a waiter over and handed him the camera. Getting up and coming to stand behind me, she put her hand on my shoulder. "Smile, honey."

"Wha—" SNAP went the camera. The waiter handed it back to her . She turned it to show me. There we were: her beaming into the camera, me with a half-smirk on my face.

We looked like quite a couple.

"That's one for the album," she said, putting the camera away.

"Album?"

"Of course!" she sat back down. "I have all these secret pictures of you I stash away in an album. I thought it would be good to start adding some US shots."

_Us shots?_ "What do you mean?"

"You know: pictures of us on our dates. Oh! We should exchange gifts now!"

She called the waiter back over and ordered champagne. Beth looked so cute when she decided to take charge. I patted my pocket, feeling the shape of a box. I smiled. She was going to be so surprised.

"Me first!" she exclaimed when the wine arrived. "Close your eyes."

I did. I felt something press into my open palm.

"Okay, open them!"

Opening my eyes, I found a small, digital keychain. Beth reached over and pressed a button. Pictures of the last three years—minus today, of course—began to cycle through in five second pace.

"I love it," I smiled. "I will wear it proudly."

"You better!" Beth grinned. She closed her eyes. "Okay, I'm ready."

Getting up and walking over to her side of the table, I knelt and took her hands in one of mine. I took out the box, flipping it open as I did.

"Beth Turner," She opened her eyes and gasped. "Will you marry me?"

The last year I had been sneaking out of my—our—apartment to meet with Celeste (whom Beth had told me had originally helped Josh design their engagement ring). With Celeste's help, I had added a ruby next to the diamond, which led to widening the top of the ring just a little. I had had the ruby engraved with the letters M and B intertwining. But the majority of the ring still held Josh's memory. I had hoped she would like it.

Hand to mouth, Beth touched a finger to the ring. The look in her eyes said it all. She _was _surprised, and in the good way.

"When did you do this?" she asked.

"Celeste helped me. I had thought you would like it."

"I love it!" She knelt in front of me and hugged me tightly. "Yes, Mick! I will, I do!"


	2. The Past Is With Us, Always

Thank you so much for all the love from Chapter 1! Seeing all of your reviews made me smile! Hope you like Chapter 2--I put some Spanish and French history twists in there, reminiscing on Coraline's previous mention of the guillotine :P

Enjoy!

* * *

**Moonlight: Season 2—Chapter 2**

Josef opened the door to my freezer.

"Rise and shine, St. John!" he sounded oddly chipper.

"I'm sorry, Mick," Beth came in, wearing jeans and a tank top. "He just invited himself in."

"I always do," Josef smiled. "Congrats on the engagement, by the way; my entrances will have to be expected now."

"Oh joy," Beth rolled her eyes while suppressing a smirk.

"What is it, Josef?" I sat up; pulling on a pair of jeans I had left next to my freezer the night before.

"Vamp massacre, started yesterday," I noticed he had a glass of blood in one hand, "We thought we could handle it without you, seeing as how you're so happy right now; but fleshies know no bounds. We're getting slaughtered."

"How is that possible?" Beth asked. "Emma didn't have time to give the list out to anyone."

"That's what we need to find out," Josef sat on the edge of the freezer. "We need you to get close to the DA, find out where he got the list. Then you need to burn it, and expunge any copies from the record. _All of them_."

"No, absolutely not!" I hoisted myself out of the freezer to stand—clad only in jeans—in front of both Beth and Josef. "The DA's office knows that Beth and I are together—they'll use her to get to me. To get to you, Josef! Not to mention you're putting _her _in danger. No. Not happening."

"She's our only link, Mick." Josef's eyes had gone cold. He was all business. "Vampires are shutting themselves in their freezers all over LA; no one's coming out. The DA is being discreet now, but what about when they get proof? One of us turns in front of them—only to protect and destroy us all. Face it, we need Beth."

"There has to be another way," I shook my head. "Let me—"

"You're on the list, too," Josef pointed out, "as am I. They have bolos out on us and our cars. I had to take the sewers, Mick. _The sewers_. Do you have any idea how eighteenth century that is? Of course not." He pointed to Beth with one of his fingers on the hand holding his glass. "She's our connection. "

"Mick, I can do this," Beth put her hand on my arm. I hadn't realized how tense I had become.

"Then you can't wear the ring," I pointed out.

"I'll leave it here." She promised. "I'll go now."

"Just be careful…" I squeezed her hand. Then she left.

* * *

Josef immediately took charge. "Alright everyone! There's a vamp out there who has taken it upon themselves to finish what Emma started: expose all vampires in the LA region. Any ideas on how to find out whom?"

Logan, a vampire who looked like a late adolescent, early adult—and who lived in a basement surrounded by computers and video games—raised his hand.

"No, Logan," Josef rolled his eyes, "we cannot just go around acting like vampires."

"It's what they want!" Logan protested. "I'm just saying that someone go out and do some vampy stuff, lure the perps out."

"The whole point," one of the Cleaners said, "is to find out who leaked our lists to the DA, and destroy them. We can't have anyone finding out who we are."

Beth ran through the door to the apartment.

"Beth?" I was at her side in a heartbeat. She shook from head to toe. "What's wrong?"

"Turn on the news!" she ordered.

Josef flipped the television on. A vampire smiled into the news camera. Standing next to him was a reporter. Josef turned up the volume.

"Here with us this evening is a Mr. Adelais Durand. Mr. Durand, you said you were turned into a vampire during the 19th century?"

"That is correct, Madame," Durand's accent sounded like a mixture of French and Spanish, "I was turned by King Louis-Philipe I of France, who was a member of the House of (Bourbon) Orléans before he died. That was around 1845, if I recall correctly."

"And you say that you were an illegitimate child of a royal Spanish house?"

"That is also correct. I was thought to be a stillborn child of Madame Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of the House of Bourbon of Spain in the early 1800s—she was rumored to have had an affair with a married duke. My mother was twenty-nine at the time of my birth, and so it was no surprise when I appeared dead out of the womb. The nurse instructed to bury me found me still alive—but barely. She raised me in France, becoming my foster mother. I was turned at the age of forty-five."

"Were you the one who put out the list of vampires in Los Angeles?"

"I was not. But to whoever did: bravo."

"What can you tell us about vampires, Mr. Durand?"

Josef turned up the volume.

"Well, Madame, for starters: we are not affected by this "holy water" you humans are so fond of."

"What about crosses?"

"It is a religious relic that some vampires still pray to."

"Sunlight?"

"It will weaken us but not destroy us."

"Stakes?"

"Now, now, Madame! That would be telling."

Durand looked at the camera, seeming to stare out at the room full of vampires. His face was a rounded oval, with ears that folded outward, slightly. His hair was gelled back from the front, slicked back into a small ponytail. His nose had a minute point to it, with a thin mustache and a goatee. All of his hair was dark.

"To my brothers and sisters," he said, "I wish you luck in this game of hide and seek. "

The television was turned off by Guillermo. Everyone sat down silently. Mick went to pour glasses of blood for the vampires, and a glass of water for Beth.

"This is bad," Beth moaned. "They know how to hurt you."

"No." I shook my head. "They know what _doesn't _hurt us. All they really know is that sunlight is hurtful, but not fatal. That buys us some time. Logan, can you find out where this Durand lives?"

"On it!" Logan whipped out a small Acer notebook and began his new assignment.

"Beth, can I talk to you for a minute?" I took Beth's hand and took her upstairs.

We sat on the edge of the couch.

"Beth, this may get dangerous," I said.

"And I'll be right there," Beth was firm, "We're about to be married, Mick. I can't be kept out of this anymore."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"And nothing will," Beth assured, "I'll be about as careful as I've always been."

"That's not reassuring."

"We'll be fine," she put a hand on my cheek. The ring glinted in the light of the setting sun through the window. "It's you we have to worry about."


	3. Doomed Us All

_**Okay, so I know that some people are a bit confused as to why I used Josh's ring as the engagement ring when Mick had no family ties to Josh. I did it because it would have sentimental value for Beth, and because Mick knows how much Josh meant to her. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I just thought it would be a nice touch.**_

_So I read the reviews from the last chapter. Yes, I know Durand's story is TruBlood-eske, but at the same time it goes with what Coraline said about the French royalty and all that. But on top of being a MickxBeth fan, I am also a BillxSookie fan _

_Side note__: Moonlight was scheduled for a second season before the Writers' Strike. They began filming the episodes before the Strike happened, but after the Strike they ditched the idea and announced Moonlight canceled for good. This made me quite sad _

**Moonlight: Season 2—Chapter 3**

Josef ordered operations moved into Logan's basement. He reasoned that my apartment was too well known in the city, and it was only a matter of time before they came knocking. But seriously, _Logan's _basement? I'd risk it with the Cleaners. At least they got to get out of here before sunrise. Josef and I were stuck with Mr. Guitar-Elf-Lord-Whatever. Beth still kept up with her apartment payments, so she got to opt out of this too.

Why me??

"Cheer up, boyo," Josef checked his earplugs, "he has to stop sometime."

"Yeah, when he needs blood…" I moaned. "At least he skipped the whole WOW phase."

"Played that!" Logan laughed. "Got bored of _that _really fast. It's all about Guitar Hero, now!"

"Pray for mercy from whatever you believe is out there," Josef leaned back into the wall.

Logan ceased his hero-ing at one in the morning. And that was only because his computer beeped at him that the search on Durand had ended.

"Bingo!" Logan punched the air.

"What is it?" I leaned over his shoulder.

"Durand, Adelais. He dates back to 19th century Spain, then he's moved to France around the age of two. His most recent activity is here in LA: he's exchanged his knowledge of vampires for immunity from the DA."

"So he's being allowed to live?" Josef snarled. "After all that he's exposed about us already?"

"The DA has given him diplomatic status and immunity," Logan agreed. "In exchange, he's giving up the hiding places of some of LA's lesser vamps."

I looked at Josef, he was seething, looking down at his Blackberry.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"They just torched a downtown vamp nest," Josef said through clenched teeth. "All of those vamps who couldn't fit in with humans—they're dead."

"But if they couldn't fit in—" Logan began.

"They didn't fit in because they didn't want to!" Josef roared, baring his fangs. "They couldn't control themselves, and so settled to feed on rats! I was helping some of them make the transition…said that my company was helping runaway kids and homeless adults get cleaned up…find jobs, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Josef," I apologized.

"There was a whole coven down there—more than a whole one. At least five all living together." He hissed. "That bastard!"

"What?" Logan asked.

"Durand! He gave them over to the police to save his own ass!"

Putting a calming hand on Josef's shoulder, I didn't notice Beth come down.

"Josef, we'll get him. But first we have to figure out who put that list out."

"I might be able to help you there," Beth cut in. "Apparently one of the vampires living in the underground tunnels was allowed to live. She claims to have given Ben the list."

Man, I hated it when she called Talbot by his first name.

"What's her name?" Josef asked.

"Teagan Quinn," Beth pulled out a file.

"Why would she give us up?" I mused aloud. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Emma only did it to get herself out of jail. Would she have given the list to anyone?"

"No," Josef shook his head. "She didn't trust many vamps except Jackson."

"That's what makes no sense. Jackson died with her, so who else could have gotten the list?"

"Ben showed me the list," Beth said, "and it was typed. Maybe someone hacked her computer?"

"It's possible," Logan said, "especially if it wasn't heavily password protected."

Guillermo burst into the room, taking the stairs two at a time. He looked terrified.

"Mick, DA Talbot is here—alone. He wants to see you," he looked at Beth, "and you."

Beth and I exchanged looks. Josef's lips pressed together in a thin line. We looked at each other and he nodded.

"We'll just be a minute." Beth and I went up the stairs.

Talbot stood in the middle of Logan's living room. He looked up from staring at the mantle to greet us.

"Ah, Mick," he extended a hand. I didn't take it, choosing instead to smile. "I see you don't trust me anymore."

"Frankly, I—" Beth cut me off with: "So, what's this about?"

"The DA is willing to cut Mick and Mr. Kosten a deal in exchange for the location of a few other vampires."

"No deal." I didn't need to think about it.

"I heard my name," Josef appeared beside me in a flash of vampire speed, making Talbot jump.

"Was that really necessary?" I didn't turn to face him.

"He knows what we are, why hide it?" Josef laughed. Then, all seriousness: "Mr. Talbot, please believe me when I say that as much as I would have _loved _ to save my own ass as a human, I've grown up over the last 400 years. Vampires don't give up other vampires."

"There we can respectfully disagree, Mr. Kostan. It appears more than one vampire is willing to give us the location of a few of their "brothers and sisters" in exchange for immunity."

"Well, it isn't _our _way," I clarified.

"That's too bad," Talbot shrugged. "What will happen when you and Beth finally decide on a date?"

Beth looked slightly surprised. My expression did not change.

"Oh come on!" Talbot chuckled. "You didn't think you could keep it a _secret_, did you? It was bound to happen!"

"When we decide on a date," I said, "it will be on our terms. There are no laws that prohibit us from being together."

"Actually," Talbot flipped on the television.

The president was giving an address.

"It has come to my attention," he said, "that there are others among us. Others that are known as vampires. These others have chosen to live among our kind for many years: teaching our children, serving our fast food, greeting us as we get on a flight. As president, I propose to start a Vampire Registration Act for any vampire that wishes to remain integrated into our societies. This Act will give them protection as well as alert the public to their presence. It is a safety measure, and one I plan to put through Congress immediately."

Talbot turned off the television.

"That's your solution?" I laughed. "Put a _Registration Act _in place like we're some kind of mutant?"

"What would _you _suggest?" Talbot crossed his arms.

"Not that!" I gestured towards the T.V. "The only thing that will do is give humans the means to ridicule and despise us—and they seem to be doing enough of that already."

"It's a start."

"No," Josef disagreed, "it's an end. By putting this list out there, Mr. Talbot, you have doomed every vampire in LA—and the world. And now any human who associates themselves with us"—here they all glanced at Beth—"is also under the lense."


	4. Hidden Cameras

_Thanks for the reviews, everyone! This is the most popular fanfiction on my homepage—it's gained more popularity in 3 chapters than my Fullmetal Alchemist ones have in 20! Again: THANKS SO MUCH! :D_

_Now, on to Chapter 4!

* * *

_

**Moonlight—Season 2: Chapter 4**

The Vampire Registration Act. The name itself put my insides to restricting, and the small size of Logan's basement didn't help any.

"So explain to me again why we can't register?" Logan asked.

Man, was this guy turned yesterday or something?

"Because then they would have our names, addresses, professions…need I go on?" Josef looked incredibly annoyed.

"What I don't understand is why Talbot would post the list without evidence," I ran a hand through my hair, confused. I'm a vampire, and human actions still confuse me.

"What was the last case you took before Talbot got the list?" Logan asked.

"We busted Emma out of jail."

"No, I mean a _human _case."

"Oh," I thought about it, "I was a bodyguard for an actress."

"And there are lots of paparatzi, right?" Josef asked.

"Well yeah, she was an actress."

"Shit!" Beth swore. We all looked at her, surprised. "There was this photographer who took frame-by-frame images of Mick getting up after being run over by a car. I thought he'd only sent them to me…shit!"

"If Talbot got those pictures…" Josef didn't fill in the rest of the sentence, exchanging a knowing look with Beth. They both knew what had happened to that photographer. But apparently they hadn't been fast enough to stop him leaking the photos to the DA.

"Then he has evidence that we exist…" Logan breathed.

"Hey, hold up!" I laughed. "Pictures of me getting up after being run over? When did _that _happen?"

"Uhhhhhh…" Beth stammered.

"After the actress died and that creepy photographer started following you around." Josef busied himself with a fingernail.

"And was anyone going to tell me about these pictures?" I asked, looking between them.

"It was information to be divulged on a need-to-know basis," Josef saved Beth by answering, "and now you need to know, so we're telling you."

"Gee thanks? Gosh, Josef, I know I'm only eighty to your four-hundred, but I _am _a big boy who can take care of his own problems."

"_This _problem is no longer just yours, Mick," Josef stared me in the eye; "it's about all of us. Personally: I think its great vampires are being given a chance to reveal themselves. Would I personally register? No. But then I'd be free game. Then again, I'm rich, I don't have to worry. _You _on the other hand, my P.I. compadre, need to tread lightly in this new pool; it's your picture that exposed us all."

"_My _picture??" I snapped at him. "You're the one hiring fleshies left and right because you can't stand the taste of refrigerated blood!"

"Well at least it's _warm blood_!" Josef shot back.

"Boys!" Beth stepped between us, giving us both a glare. Her hand with our ring was on my chest. "Enough! Fighting like this will get us nowhere. Now, Josef, how many vampires do you know of will register?"

"Anyone with a government job that they want to keep," Josef shook his head, "Teachers, lawyers, lunch staff…"

"Okay, and how many won't?"

"Us," I said, "and everyone else not employed by the government."

"We're _all _employed by the government somehow," Beth pointed out.

"Jobs without any direct government involvement are easier for a vampire to move in," Josef nodded to himself. "Unless they _really _like their jobs, there'll be a dramatic drop in the number of teachers in our public and private sectors."

Logan had remained quiet for most of the argument. "Well I'm not registering."

"Neither am I," Josef agreed.

I looked at Beth, at our future. Against what I had thought earlier, it was probably the only way we could be together. "I may have to."


	5. Family

_Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out—college can be such a pain! Stay tuned for plot twists and things of that ilk._

**Moonlight—Season 2: Chapter 5**

Josef had given me the "vampires can never live peacefully among humans" speech at least three dozen times before I couldn't tune him out anymore.

"Enough, brother!" I shouted, not loudly, but forcefully. "If I want any sort of future, then I can't let something as trivial as the opinion of _others _to deter me from this!"

"I just want you to know what you're getting in to." Josef shrugged.

"I've lived among humans for years!"

"Yes, but they've always thought you were human. This time they will know what you are; problems can arise."

He didn't need to tell me twice. I had never truly embraced my vampirism until Beth had been put into danger with the plastic surgeon. It was that day that made me realize that I needed my abilities to be of any use to anyone—but most importantly it made me realize that I couldn't live, as a human or a vampire, without Beth.

Even in the face of having my kind exposed—and thus her link to us—Beth stayed composed. She stood in Logan's basement with us, dressed in jeans and a cream shirt. Her hair fell freely to her shoulders and her eyes missed nothing. They came to rest on me, and we shared a spark…a moment of complete understanding.

"We should go, now," Beth said.

"Yes," I agreed, "I'm sorry, Josef, but in this I have no choice."

"No offense Beth," Josef apologized before turning to me, "Mick, you would put a human before the decades we have had together? You would put her before your immortal family?"

"I never chose this family, Josef."

"No one ever does, Mick, but that doesn't mean that you can just throw it away."

"I'll still be a vampire," Josef wanted to dissuade me from what I had already set my mind to.

"That's not the _point_!" Josef transformed into his vampire form, baring his fangs at me.

Josef had a temper, which I knew, but his reaction to this point was a bit overdramatic…right? What if he was right, what if what was about to do would estrange me from those who had been my family for the past 50 years? I looked to Beth for help and she smiled. That smile melted all of my anger at Josef, all of my regrets. Yes, putting myself on the list was worth it, if only to be with her.

"I'm sorry, my brother," I put a hand on Josef's shoulder, "I need to do this."

Josef turned away from me, shoulders hunching beneath his coat. His fists clenched, and when he spoke, he bit back a snarl:

"Then go!"

* * *

Beth held my hand as we walked into the City Hall of Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, the line of vampires to register was nonexistent. We followed the signs that read **VAMPIRE REGISTRATION** and came face-to-face with a small, rotund man in glasses and a three piece suit sitting at an official-looking table. He eyed me with a detached air, wrinkling his nose like he had just smelled a strong waft of garlic. Unfortunately, I could smell the "dried" garlic that he had around his neck and under his collared shirt. This guy read too many trashy vampire novels.

Not that I had anything against those kinds of novels. Some of them were pretty amusing. One author I didn't consider trash was Anne Rice—that is before she found religion and a deep fear for the undead.

"May I help you, Mr…?" the man brought out a pen and a small packet.

"St. John," I said, "Mick St. John. I am here to register as a vampire."

"You're the first," the man extended a hand, arm tense, "My name is Mr. Hanson, and I will be your registrar for today."

"Thank you, sir," I shook his hand.

He clicked the pen out and handed me the paperwork.


	6. Us or Them

_Wow! I love everyone's enthusiasm for this fanfic! :) To answer some questions: I figured it was a good spot to end the chapter, but there is more to come. I'm running a blank on whom to pin the whole List thing on and am open to suggestions! :)_

_As to character relations, you'll just have to wait and see ;3_

_And now to Chapter 6!_

**Moonlight—Season 2: Chapter 6**

Beth and I must have sat in that room for over an hour. There were so many questions in small print that my eyes—however heightened by vampire abilities—began to sting from all the squinting I had to do. The registration packet itself was not very big; but it was front and back in small print. This was a trick these government people played on us, or at least will start to play on us—mark my words.

"Mick, we only have half a page left," Beth said encouragingly as I rubbed the bridge of my nose for the hundredth time in the last half hour.

"Remind me why I am doing this again?"

"So we can get married."

That reason made me abandon my best friend in Logan's basement. That reason made me sit in this almost-empty room, filling out a packet that asked the most ridiculous questions:

_102) what is your preferred blood type?_

_103) what is your favorite time of day?_

_104) have you ever been in the military? How long? Who were your comrades?_

Absolutely ludicrous. But damn, all of it was worth it to be with Beth—hopefully Josef and I could work something out. I didn't like the space my decision had made between us. But if Josef hadn't tried to turn the love of his life, and something like this had been offered to them, he would have taken it—no doubt. The look in his eyes when he was in her room in New York, the anguish in his face. He would have done the same thing.

So why did I feel the grips of guilt around his place in my heart?

"Mick?" Beth touched my arm.

"What?" I shook my head to clear the fog of memory.

"We're finished."

She helped me stand and we handed in our paperwork—well, my paperwork. MR. Hansen ran a LED pen light over each page. The pen was connected to a laptop computer. Apparently the computer was telling him something after he scanned each page, because he kept nodding.

"All seems to be in order, Mr. St. John," he pulled some printouts out of the printer under the desk. "These are your temporary registration papers. You must have them on your…person at all times and present them during any and all official transactions."

"Like what?" I wanted to laugh, but held my tongue.

"Grocery stores, walk-ins at the bank, things like that. You will also have to state your affiliations on your tax records. A representative from the IRS will come by your residence within the week to help with the necessary paperwork. Also," he looked at Beth's ring, "you will need to find a priest willing to perform any marriage rites, and you and your spouse's affiliations will have to be on your certificate. If either one of you changes affiliation after you are married, the contract will become void and you will need to get married again."

Damn, so many rules!

"That is all," Mr. Hansen got up and shook my hand, then Beth's. "Good day, Mr. and Mrs. St. John."

* * *

That night I went over to Coraline's old house. The one she had before she was Morgan. The one she had when we first met. Beth didn't know I had come over; I had left her at home asleep. But I honestly did not know why I had come; maybe I was hoping to run into someone, anyone, who would understand why I did what I did today.

A shadow on the other side of the pool caught my eye. Turning, I saw Coraline's brother—always forgetting his name, but he's bad news—smirking at me from the other side.

"What's the matter, _Mick_?" he faked concern. "Being part of the family not all you thought it would be?"

"Where's Coraline?" I asked.

"Not here," he folded his arms, "Don't dodge the question."

"I never signed up for your _royal vampire _façade, okay?" I didn't take my eyes off of him. "I never signed up for any of this."

"Hmm, yes but you did sign up as a _registered _vampire."

"To be with my fiancé."

"Humans are nothing but food, Mick!" he laughed. "It is time you started realizing that!"

"Beth is more than food!" I roared. "She's more than anything you could _ever _hold dear!"

"I hold nothing dear anymore, Mick. Only the law of my family, which my sister has broken." His eyes bore into mine as he let the unspoken threat to Coraline hang in the air. "Now, as part of our family, you have to make a choice. Coraline or your human."

"You can't ask that!" I grimaced. "I could never choose."

"You'll have to," he laughed, "because whichever you choose, the other shall die. You still have feelings for my sister; I can feel them roll off of you."

"So what? She was my wife."

"You have until Sunday," he studied a nail, unmoved, "by which time I will decide for you. But unlike you, I can go double or nothing."

He vanished before I could rebuttal. I cast one hateful glance at where he stood just moments before, then turned and disappeared into the night of no moon.

* * *

_Okay, so can someone help me out with the brother's name? I know I just watched the series and I'm running a blank and feel really stupid. :P_

_Read and review! Your comments influence the flux of the story! :)_


	7. Want No Strings

_Thanks to everyone who posted reviews! And thanks for Luke's name—that was starting to bug me!_

_On to Chapter 7!_

**Moonlight: Season 2—Chapter 7**

Mick POV

I stayed up all night in my office, sifting through what Luke had said—and what he didn't say. In truth he agreed with Josef: by putting myself out into the public eye, I had put everyone I could be linked to in danger. How could I have been so blind? But Beth and I…we wanted to get married. As long as that ring was on her finger, she could be connected to me by anyone who knew her or me. It would be a dead giveaway.

There had t be a way to get out of this. I was making the biggest decisions of my life.

Beth POV

Mick hadn't come to bed last night. Well, he had, but when I woke up in the middle of the night he was gone. He came back around three in the morning and sat out in his office with the lights off. Something was bothering him. Finally around six I decided to find out what was wrong.

"Mick?" I came in to the office in a large T-shirt.

"Yeah?" he didn't look at me; he was staring out the window.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"That's a lie if I ever heard one," my tone was light as I pulled up a chair to sit beside him. "Tell me."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"You'll think it's stupid."

"No I won't."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'm having second thought about registering yesterday."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Something that Luke said…"

Mick had told me all about Luke's connection t Coraline after their run-in before. It didn't take a brain surgeon to fit _that _puzzle together.

"He's just trying to rattle you," I said.

"Is he?" Mick rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What if he's right? I can't just go back to being human—not without the cure. And not without a lifetime supply of it, either. There's no way back, and I've ruined the chance my connections had at a normal life."

"Normal?"

"As normal as it could have been."

"Mick, this is silly. We're all big kids now, we can take care of ourselves."

"If anything happened to any of you, I would go crazy!" he propelled himself out of his chair and began pacing wildly. "I have to find some way out of this—it's not right!"

"Now you're sounding like Josef!" I tensed. "Mick, it's done. You're in the government system. There's no way out of this!"

Mick POV

I stopped pacing. Logan. Logan could hack into the system and get me out. I could be free again.

"Mick, are you listening?" Beth asked from her chair. "There's no way out."

"Yes, there is," I grinned.

"You can't just change your mind about these things!" She sighed. "It would be like a werewolf—"

"But I'm not a werewolf I'm a vampire."

"All the same, it shouldn't be done." Beth watched me as I picked up the phone. "Mick, don't you call Logan…"

"I'm not calling Logan," I covered the mouthpiece.

"Then who?"

"Josef."

Beth POV

Mick picked up the phone and dialed Josef's number without even looking at the number pad. After a few moments Josef picked up the phone and Mick put him on speaker.

"What do you want?" Josef sounded very annoyed.

"I need to talk to you," Mick said, "about the registration."

"Wow," he bit off his sarcastic remark, "that's a first."

"Josef, I'm being serious." Mick paused, then: "Luke sought me out. I was…walking and he found me. He's going to…hurt Coraline, and gave me a choice: her or Beth."

"And you need to think about that?" Josef asked.

"No, I don't," Mick looked at me and smiled, "But I won't let Coraline die for turning me, even if I don't approve."

"And how does the registration tie into this?"

"I let my engagement blind me, brother," Mick raked a hand through his hair, "I need to find a way out of this. I can't go looking for Coraline without raising a red flag, or at least some attention. "

"You want Logan to erase you from the government files?" Now Josef had Mick on speaker with Logan.

"Josef," I spoke up, "this is a mistake. You can't just hack into a _government_ computer network. Besides, how would we get married if Mick isn't registered?"

"Leave the hacking to me!" Logan sounded like he was just presented with Zeus's original lightning bolt.

"I can arrange the marriage part," Josef assured me, then his tone turned to Mick. "What made you change your mind?"

Mick POV

I was coming into realizing the biggest mistake of my immortal life and she was worried about not getting married? Something else was bugging her.

I muted the speaker. "Beth, what is it?"

"What do you mean?" she looked angry.

"Why do you want me to stay registered so badly?"

"I just want—"

"Before Talbot got this list, you could have cared less about whether I signed up for something like this."

"Times change. People change, Mick."

"Not you," I shook my head. "You have resolve like stone. What's really bothering you?"

"Talbot made copies for the people in the office he trusted. I got one of the lists." She pulled a stapled stack out of one of my books—one of the few I had only read once. "He's read the list, Mick."

"I know he has. So?"

"SO?! He knows what you are!"

"We know this already, Beth."

"Him and every other important person in the building," Beth sighed. "He's been scouting the houses—the _dwellings_ he calls them—of almost every vampire on this list. He has digital proof of some limited vampire activity."

"Like what?"

"That cool jumping thing you guys do," Beth smiled a bit at that, "and once he caught a video of one vamp changing face before he drained a bank robber."

She took a deep breath.

"He's been given permission to detain any vampire that is not registered and resists questioning. He asked me specifically to make sure you stayed registered—that he didn't want to hurt us by having to do his job."

"That doesn't sound like him."

"Oh no?"

"No. I don't think he would ask that. I think he's being manipulated or something."

"I hope you're right," Beth hugged me, "because I don't want to think of the alternative."


	8. The Blood That Connects

_Haha, sorry to everyone about the name mix-up! Thanks for all you concerned fans that beat the name Lance into my head _:) _I enjoyed reading everyone's concerns and feedback on the progress of the story. Keep 'em coming! You're feedback helps the story develop!_

_Onto Chapter 8! (Mostly in Mick POV)_

**Moonlight: Season 2—Chapter 8**

Mick POV

I had just dropped Beth off at the office when I smelled him. Lance. Was it Sunday already? No, it was Friday, or Beth wouldn't need to go into the office…

I parked the car and walked into a shaded park area. Lance appeared leaning against a tree, looking smug as ever.

"Have you made your decision, brother?" his tone implied how funny he thought my "title."

"I still find it childish of you to make me choose between them." I put on my shades. "You make rash decisions, Lance. I expected better."

"My bloodline is as old as time!" Lance laughed off my statement, untouched. "As for your choice: you have two days, Mick. Don't make me choose for you, you won't like the ending of this story."

"And what happens if I do as you say?" I folded my arms. "Huh? What happens if I choose?"

"Then the other dies and you will be forced into the family. As the youngest member, you will be subservient to my brothers and me."

"And if I refuse that, too?"

"Then you die." Lance waved this comment with a fluid movement of his wrist. "It makes no difference to me, really. Coraline made it her last wish. Funny, she had a feeling you would choose your _human_ over her."

I said nothing.

"Will you, _Mick_?" Lance smirked at me, straightening. "Choose a human? Is her life worth more than a vampire?"

"That is none of your business."

"I will await you here on Sunday," Lance turned his back to me. "Bring your Beth and I will bring my sister. You will make your choice before them both. You are allowed to bring one witness."

"How thoughtful," I joked, tone straight.

"Yes, I suppose I am. Until Sunday."

He vanished.

* * *

Beth POV

I couldn't get near David all day. His phone rang constantly and there were always people crowding around his office door. Finally, around lunch, he sought me out. Sitting down across one of the cafeteria tables, he sighed.

"There are people who would kill for your job," I joked, "Don't give up yet."

"There are also those who are out for my _life_," Talbot moaned dramatically. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Live with a vampire? I can barely put up with those who come through my door."

I couldn't go telling him that Mick had saved me from abduction—by his ex-wife—as a child. That we shared a special bond that had flowered into love.

"I don't know," I shrugged, taking a bite of my salad. "It's just a good fit."

"Anything going on that I should be aware of?" Talbot unwrapped his sandwich.

"No, why?"

"We've been getting small viruses aimed at our systems all day—that's what's kept me so busy. I've been on the phone with the Tech Crew trying to find out what it is."

Logan. It had to be. "Um, like what?"

"Small, Trojan-like viruses. In e-mails that look like they're from me. _Me_! Someone is messing with me, I can feel it."

"Any idea why these are being sent?"

"The Crew has no idea, and neither do I. I'm beginning to think this was all a distraction."

"Was?"

"Yeah, they all stopped right before lunch. It's like someone threw a switch and just shut off the virus—and the logs of registered vamps."

"The logs disappeared?"

"Around the same time as the virus attack—what the—" he looked at his phone. "The logs are back."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Everything's back up and running. Nothing's missing yet, but we're going to comb through each log. No stone left unturned, so they say."

"Yeah…" I chewed thoughtfully. "All stones must be accounted for."

* * *

Mick POV

Logan called just as I woke up from my afternoon nap.

"Hey, Logan," I pulled on a shirt and flicked on the news.

"You're out, burn the papers," he sounded pleased.

"Doing it right now," I threw the papers into the fire, watching them until they disitigrated. "Logan, you are amazing."

"Don't I know it!" he laughed. "Hold on, Josef wants to speak to you."

"Mick," Josef greeted me, "I heard you talked with Lance today."

"How—"

"I have my ways, my friend. What did he say?"

"I have two more days to make my choice. He's bringing Coraline on Sunday and I have to bring Beth. I'm also allowed one witness."

"He doesn't want to take any chances."

"Will you do it?"

"Of course."

"So what now?" I asked.

"Do we intend to save Coraline?" Josef voiced my thoughts.

"She was my wife, Josef."

"And Beth is your fiancé," he said, "you can't have your cake and eat it too."

"That's odd, coming from you."

"I have my modern moments."

"I was thinking of winging that part," I confessed. "But I _will _choose Beth."

"As he knows you will."

"Are you suggesting I choose Coraline?"

"I suggest," Josef stated, "that you maneuver this pit carefully. You were sired into a very powerful family, Mick. A powerful and dangerous family."


	9. A Choice

_Thanks for all the awesome reviews! From what I hear, fans are loving Lance's moments in the spotlight—gotta say, I have fun with 'em too! _

_Sorry about the late posting everyone! School has been keeping hot on my heels. _

_In this chapter, it's fifteen minutes to midnight—fifteen minutes before Mick, Josef, and Beth go to meet Lance and Coraline. What will happen? Read on!_

**Moonlight—Season 2: Chapter 9**

Mick POV

The clock on my desk chimed the quarter hour. It was a small, desk-sized replica of a clock tower, and had a little bell that chimed every 15 minutes. Beth sat in the guest chair of my desk, and Josef paced in front of the office door.

"You say he contacted you again?" he said.

"Yes," I shut the book I wasn't really reading, "He said that he would meet us in the park outside of the District Attorneys' office."

"How much longer?" Josef looked pained—but a tightly held pain, if that made any difference.

"One minute less than the last time you asked."

"We should leave," Beth got up, "we don't want to be late."

"You forget: vampire speed. We'll leave at exactly 11:58PM." I shelved the book.

Lance POV_ (for all you Lance lovers out there! :D )_

The wind brushed through the trees—faster than a moment ago. The sun had been down for hours. It was almost time for Mick to meet us.

I turned to my sister. She stood leaning against a tree, arms folded. Her complexion was paler than usual in the little moonlight.

"He won't choose me, you know," she said tartly.

"He will if he knows what is good for him, and his human," I smiled menacingly at her. "Really, Coraline, bringing a _soldier_ into our bloodline?"

"I love him, brother, that is all that should be of importance to you."

I covered the distance between us in a second, staring into her eyes. She glared back at me, truth radiating from her like moonlight. At the same time she was…tired. Almost as if she expected to die tonight. Perhaps she would, regardless of Mick's choice…

As if their family needed her after all these years. Living the life of luxury, yet not even caring if she struck fear into the hearts of mortals. Preferring fleeting flings to lasting devotion—based off of fear, of course.

For what was the purpose of being Vampire if not to be superior to humans?

Two minutes before the clock struck midnight, the air thickened, and Mick stood in the park.

Mick POV

I arrived with Beth and Josef two minutes before midnight. Lance and Coraline stood in discussion by a tree. Another vampire—Lance's witness, no doubt—waited in the shadows between our two parties. Josef took his place next to him, both of them exchanging a formal nod.

"I am here," I stepped forward until I was at the midway point. Beth stood behind me and slightly to my right.

"Excellent," Lance took the same position, as did Coraline.

"You _will _keep your word, no matter whom I choose." It was not a question.

Lance waved this off. "Have you decided?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

I exchanged a look with Josef. As if sensing what I would do, he shook his head. "Beth."

Beth POV

I heard Mick say my name. A tingle went down my spine when Coraline smiled, looking relieved. Did she and Mick plan this? Why would she want me to live? Unless…

"Mick, what are you doing?" I whispered.

"Saving you." He didn't look at me, keeping a steady gaze with Lance.

"Not Coraline?" I had been sure that he would have tried something dangerous to save both of us.

"She is no longer…my concern." He exhaled slowly.

That pause. Mick still cared for Coraline. I knew it, Josef knew it. Everyone who knew Mick St. John knew that he still had feelings for his ex wife. No mystery there. So why would he leave her to die?

And then all hell broke loose.

Mick POV

At the flick of my wrist, Bella and her Cleaners surrounded the small space our small party occupied. They surrounded Lance in half the time it took Beth to process what had happened. Josef swept Beth up into his arms and sped away toward Logan's. The Cleaners had Lance kneeling next to Coraline when I walked up to Bella.

"Hey, Bella."

"Mick," she smiled. "Glad to see you decided to place that call."

"Thanks for coming."

"St. John!" Lance growled, face cracking with the swift trap.

"Lance," I folded my arms. "Couldn't see that one coming?"

"I can see _everything _coming!"

"I guess not everything."

Lance growled again, a feral sound that would have set any decent man's hackles on end. It merely annoyed me, even though the age and in-bred royalty of the man rocked me to my very core.

But Coraline had given me her blood, so his blood also ran in my veins. I was a Royal Blood.

Oh joy.


	10. Heirarchy

**Moonlight—Season 2: Chapter 10**

Josef POV

Mick had been in the interrogation room with Lance for over an hour. They didn't do anything, just stared at each other. Beth stood next to me, slowly shaking her head back and forth.

"What is it?" I asked, not turning my head.

"He shouldn't have chosen me," she said.

"Are you kidding?" I laughed. "He would never have forgiven himself if anything had happened to you. Coraline's his past; you're his present and future as far as he's concerned."

"But she almost died."

"She knew Mick would choose you. She knows him, and she's seen you together. Coraline wouldn't have allowed anything but."

A banging signaled Mick's anger limit snapping. He threw the chair he was sitting in across the room. It bounced off of the wall and landed next to Lance's own. We hadn't tied him up. What would have been the point? Nothing could hold a vampire. But Lance knew that Mick would gut him if he tried to escape.

Mick shifted into his vampire form.

Mick POV

I threw my chair across the room, missing Lance's head by a few inches. Not that that would have made much of a difference to him. The man who, by blood exchange, was my brother sneered at me.

"What's the matter, St. John?" he asked. "Blood not settling well?"

"You will tell me everything I want to know," I told him, leaning across the table in full vampire form. "I'm not going to play games with you."

"Games? Who said anything about games?" Lance laughed. "You don't seem to understand the risks."

My nostrils flared, but this didn't appear to bother Lance in the slightest.

"These little _risks_ you think are relevant aren't," I curled a lip, trying to look menacing.

Trying to look anything besides pitiful to Lance was, while a valiant effort, futile.

His eyes flickered between boredom and amusement. This was nothing but a game to him, and we both knew it. Whatever he had up his tailored sleeves, it couldn't be good.

"What's the matter, Mick?" Lance smiled. "Don't you believe me?"

"No."

"That's a pity," Lance checked a fingernail.

I eyed him warily. "If you're trying to be intimidating—"

"Dear St. John, I don't need to _try _to be anything. I am vampiric royalty—I can be anything I want to be."

"You may think so," I felt my hatred for him reach a boiling point, "but everyone is coming to see you for who you truly are. You can't hide behind your façade anymore, _Lance_. This is _my_ city, and you've become just one more thing walking the earth like the rest of us."

That struck a nerve. Before I knew what had happened, Lance had left his seat and thrown the table that separated us against the wall. Nothing stood between us, and Lance had brought out his fangs.

"If it weren't for this _thing_, St. John, you would not be what you are!"

"You're sister saw to that, not you—and this conversation has nothing to do with her."

"You're a Royal Blood now, Mick St. John!" Lance roared at me, all composure gone. "We. Are. Vampire! Superior to the humans we have stemmed from!"

"How?" I bellowed back. "How are we so different, _brother_"—venom dripped from the word like blood from the fangs of a new vampire—"Our accelerated speed? Our enhanced hearing? _Why did you release that list of vampires?_"

Lance paused, muscles tensed as if ready to strike at me. A look of confusion flickered across his face before it became an unreadable mask again.

"I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oh, really? Then _how else_ would the government have gotten a list of every single vampire?"

"In case you didn't read through the papers carefully," Lance pulled out a copy of the list, "my name and those of my brothers grace these pages as well."

I grabbed the papers from him and scanned each page.

He was right.

There, in black and white, where the names of every royal vampire. Each name had a small crown stamped in front of their name.

Mine had a faded stamp.

One look at Lance confirmed my growing suspicions.

"The humans know the vampire hierarchy."


End file.
